Phoenix-Area Unemployment Rate Drops to 3.7 Percent

For 15 years, In&Out Magazine has been the definitive source of “Everything that’s going on” in and out of the community. We thank you, our readers, as well as the businesses that support the magazine through advertising, for that opportunity. But with little going on, and many businesses suspending or canceling their ads during the Covid-19 crisis, we are suspending publication of the magazine and web sites for the month of May. 


The unemployment rate in the Valley of the Sun and around the state dropped to historically low levels, the government reported Nov. 16.

In the Phoenix metro area, the unemployment rate in October fell 0.3 percent to 3.7 percent, according to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The state unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent—the lowest since December, 2007, according to the Office of the Governor. The national rate is 4.1 percent.

The metro-area workforce increased by 34,600 to 2.3 million, or 1.7 percent over the same month last year, according to a statement released by the City of Phoenix. Those gains were offset by nearly 3,000 job losses reported in Tucson, and less than 1,000 fewer jobs each for Flagstaff and Prescott.

Manufacturing jobs in the Valley increased by 4,200 over October 2016. There are now 124,200 manufacturing jobs in the region. There are now 111,200 construction jobs in the Valley, compared to 130,000 in  October 2008.

 

The Phoenix metro area has seen notable changes in the workforce over the past decade. Comparing the latest jobs figures to October 2008 by sector:

  • Education & Health Services: Up 36.6%
  • Leisure & Hospitality: Up 25.7%
  • Financial Activities: Up 22.3%
  • Manufacturing: Up 22.6%
  • Natural Resources & Mining: Down 17.9%
  • Government: Down 2.3%

“Arizona’s entrepreneurs are continuing to hire and expand their businesses, and thanks to their hard work, we’re experiencing our lowest unemployment rate in nearly a decade,” said Gov. Doug Ducey.

Since 2015, the state as a whole has added more than 140,000 private sector jobs, according to Ducey’s office.

Robert Roy Britt
NoPho resident Robert Roy Britt has written for In&Out publications since its inception in 2005. Britt began his journalism career in New Jersey newspapers in the early 1990s. He later became a science writer and was editor-in-chief of the online media sites Space.com and Live Science. He has written four novels. .

Robert Roy Britt

NoPho resident Robert Roy Britt has written for In&Out publications since its inception in 2005. Britt began his journalism career in New Jersey newspapers in the early 1990s. He later became a science writer and was editor-in-chief of the online media sites Space.com and Live Science. He has written four novels. .

npneditor has 531 posts and counting.See all posts by npneditor